It was a long and excruciating wait for the Yankees and their fans. Since Babe Ruth joined the team in 1920, the Yankees had never gone more than three years without a World Series appearance — and that only occurred twice. But after a third-place finish in 1975, the streak of October-less baseball in the Bronx reached 11 seasons, and the Yankees faithful were once again stuck watching the rival Red Sox play in the Fall Classic.
The following season, first-year manager Billy Martin guided the Bombers back to the World Series — finally.